Welcome back to #PLAYfulpreschool! This week, we’re focused on a theme of nuts and seeds – be sure to check out the rest of the team’s ideas at the bottom of this post. I decided to share some name activities kids can try using pumpkin seeds!
Why name activities with pumpkin seeds?
I’m a big believer in name activities in preschool. Children can learn so many concepts with their names, as well as with their friends’ names. Here are just some of the concepts I’ve used names to teach:
- High frequency words
- Letter identification
- Letter sounds
- Letter formation
- Comparing and contrasting
Using the colorful pumpkin seeds adds a sense of novelty and provides a different sensory experience for the children as they learn their names. The vibrant colors grab kids’ attentions and let them explore math concepts (like sorting and patterning).
Pumpkin seeds name activities
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Dry pumpkin seeds
Liquid watercolors (Mine are from Discount School Supply & Amazon has some too)
12″ x 18″ Construction paper
Sorting tray (I grabbed mine from a local Dollar Tree, but Amazon has some too)
Dye the pumpkin seeds a day or so before the activity. I placed some seeds in a plastic bag, added a few squirts of liquid watercolors, and then shook up the bag. Once the seeds were colored, I spread them on a paper towel to dry overnight. Sugar Aunts created colorful pumpkin seeds a different way, if you don’t happen to have liquid watercolors on hand. Once the pumpkin seeds were dry, I placed them in a segmented tray for the kiddos. The color was a bit splotchy because I used old salted pumpkin seeds – I think the colors would be more uniform if the seeds weren’t salted.
Cut the construction paper in half so you have 6″ x 18″ pieces. Write the children’s names on the construction paper, then invite the children over to create their names!
What we did
I invited the children over once everything was set up, and they were excited to get started! Honestly, a few were hovering as I set up so they got put to work making sure the seeds were all sorted by color. 🙂
The children traced over the first letter in their names using white glue. They then chose colorful pumpkin seeds to outline that letter. This continued until each letter in their names were outlined with the seeds. Some children chose one color to work with at a time, while others wanted a variety of colors! A few of the children even created patterns with different colored pumpkin seeds on their names!
Once all the kiddos have made a pumpkin seed name, we’ll have a super colorful display up around the classroom!
More pumpkin seed name activities for kids
I just couldn’t resist sharing two more name activities to try! Fantastic Fun and Learning used construction paper “seeds” and a crafty “pumpkin” for her activity. Suzy Homeschooler used real seeds like we did, but in a completely different way!
What are some of your favorite fall name activities for kids? Have you used pumpkin seeds before?
More nuts & seeds ideas from the #PLAYfulpreschool team!